Commemorative biographical record of Hartford County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Pt 1, Part 59

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1336

USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Commemorative biographical record of Hartford County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Pt 1 > Part 59

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(11[) Thomas Giddings, born in Ipswich, Mass., in 1683. removed to Gloucester in 1710, and pur- chased of Benjamin Lufkin a house which he sold May 22, 1721. About 1722 he came to Connecticut and settled in Lyme, near Beaver Brook, New Lon- don county. purchased land, and continued so to do for several years consecutively. In 1708 he mar- ried Sarah Butler, and to this union were born five children : Job married Sarah Rathbone; Joseph, born in 1714. (first) married Eunice Andrus and

(second) Elizabeth Hungerford; John married Susannah Tozor ; Joshua, born in 1719, married Jane Reed; and Thomas, born in 1723, married Mary Coult.

(1\') Joshua Giddings was born in 1719 and died Feb. 4, 1807. Hle removed probably from Lyme to Hartland, Conn., about 1723. The last deed recorded in Lyme is to Ensign Jasper, and is dated in 1775, the consideration being £1,500. The fol- lowing record in Lyme was made June 5, 1746: "Joshua Giddings' car mark for all sorts of creatures is a swallow-tail in the left, or a cross on the right car, with a half-penny on each side of the same." It is said that he went to Hartland when quite a young man, built a log house in the southwestern part of the town, and for a while slept on a bed of leaves. The foundation and chimney of the cabin are yet standing, and a large tree grows from the collar. The records also show that he held office year after year, and that he was admitted to the Congregational Church Feb. 5, 1769. To his mar- riage with Jane Reed, whose death took place April IT, 1803, when she was aged seventy-nine years, were born the following children: Elisha married April 22, 1776, Susannah Perkins, who died Feb. 7. 1777, aged twenty-four years, he dying the same vear at the age of thirty-one; Benjamin, who was born in 1753, married Affiah Holcomb; John, born Nov. 9. 1754. married Achsa Palmer: Joshua, born in 1756, (first ) married Submit Jones and (second) Elizabeth Pease ; Sarah was married Feb. 18, 1784, to Angus McLoud, and had one son, Angus, who married August 31, 1809, Clarissa Beeman, of Ilart- land, and became the father of six children: Deb- orah was married Oct. 27, 1768, to Jedediah Bush- nell, of Hartland : Jane died March 11. 1777, at the age of fifteen years: Niles, born in 1760, married Naomi Hale: Chloe was married Sept. 26, 1789, to Moses Brockway, of Hartland : Ruth was married Nov. 18, 1770, to Jonathan Couch, of Simsbury, and in October, 1775, was a widow with three chil- dren.

(V) Benjamin Giddings, who was born at Lyme in 1753. died in 1830 in Hartland, Conn., whither he was brought in infancy by his father. He married Affiah Holcomb, who died in 1830, at the age of seventy-seven years, and to this union were born ten children : Almon married Lottie Miller, and settled in Michigan ; Salmon, born March 2, 1782, married Almira Collins : Zeriuah, born in 1784, was married Aug. 31, 1807, to Jonathan Tuttle, of Bark- hamsted. Litchfield Co., Con. (in 1810 they re- moved to Ohio and purchased 100 acres of land in Williamsfield, and there she passed away May 3. 1871. Mr. Tuttle was a justice of the peace twenty- one years, county commissioner twelve years, and representative in the Legislature one year, and died in June. 1864) : Julia, born in 1791, was married to Ezra Mack: Lorrain married Desdemona Cowdry; Harriet, born in 1795, married William H. Tisdale, and died Dec. 10, 1831, leaving one son ; Benjamin,

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born Jan. 12, 1801, married Amoret Bushnell ; Affie was married May 30, 1820, to Dr. Josiah Banning, and died Sept. 28, 1832, aged thirty-four years (the Doctor afterward married Edith Cowdry, and died in 1848) ; Lowly was the next child; and Har- riet, the youngest, married a Mr. Tisdale. Benjamin Giddings, the father of the above named family, was always a busy man in the affairs of his town, and was also a valiant soldier in the war of the Revolu- tion, suffering extremely in the severe winter of 1780-81. In June, 1781, he was appointed a "com- mittee to hire all the soldiers for the army and bring on the men that counted for the town of Hartland, and had not joined."

(VI) Benjamin Giddings was born in Hartland, Conn., Jan. 12, 1801, was a prominent merchant, and for many years was postmaster; he was also a representative in the State Legislature, a selectman, a justice of the peace, and commissioner of the su- perior court of Hartford county until age disquali- fied him. He married Amoret Bushnell, who was born Feb. 8, 1804, and was a daughter of Rev. Asa Bushnell, of Hartland. Benjamin Giddings died Feb. 20, 1874, and his widow passed away Oct. 26, 1881. Their children were nine in number : Philo B., born Jan. 25, 1823, died in Montrose, Va., Dec. 6, 1857 ; Fidelia H., born May 19, 1824, mar- ried Henry J. Gates, of IIartland, in November, 1842; Milo J., born April 2, 1828, was married July 4. 1849, to Eugenia P. Miller, and resided in Avoca, Iowa, later going to McPherson, Kans., where he died in May, 1900; Watson, the next in order of birth, is the subject of this sketch; Almira, born Nov. 30, 1831, was married Sept. 27, 1858, to Hoyt M. Hayes, of Hampsted; Mary E., born Oct. 5, 1833, was married to Nelson D. Sanford, of Hart- land, Feb. 8, 1855, and died in New Haven April 10, 1871 ; Eliza A., born April 14, 1836, was married to Cyrus Cook, of Lexington, Ohio, July 3, 1860, and died Sept. 8, 1877, in Albion, Iowa ; Almena A., born April 14, 1838, married Ralph H. Park, and was accidentally killed Nov. 13, 1891 (she is mentioned below) ; and Salmon B., born July 14, 1847, married Aurelia M. Emmons.

(VHI) Watson Giddings, the subject proper of this sketch, and the seventh of the American gen- erations, was born April 4. 1830. He attended the common schools of East Hartland till seventeen years of age, and after relinquishing his studies worked five years for his brother-in-law, Henry J. Gates. in East Hartland, although his own father was in good circumstances. He then opened a black- smith shop in Barkhamsted, Conn., which he con- ducted for ten years, and then sold to Henry Perry, went to New Hartford, and worked one year for R. H. Wheeler, later forming a partnership with this gentleman under the firm style of Wheeler & Gid- dings. A year subsequently he bought Mr. Wheel- er's interest, and carried on the business alone about two years : he then disposed of the plant to Henry M. Gates, and bought the Walter Stickney shop,

in Winsted, which he ran about eighteen months and then sold to the Winsted Carriage Co., with which he invested all his capital. About six months later this company failed, financially ruining Mr. Giddings, who then went to Lewis, Iowa, where he worked at his trade for T. J. Allen for a year and a half, at the end of that time returning to Con- necticut and purchasing William Monk's shop, in Terryville, which he conducted three years and then sold to a Mr. Steele. In 1874 Mr. Giddings located in Bristol, and opened a small shop on the corner of North Main and Center streets, which he has since converted into the most commodious and best equipped carriage factory in the town, and he employs from five to fifteen men, according to his volume of business. In June, 1886, he admitted, as a partner in the concern, his son Frederick Watson, the firm style being Watson Giddings & Son. They carry on general blacksmithing and carriage mak- ing, and are still located on the original corner.

Watson Giddings (first) married, Jan. 6, 1853, Miss Adeliza Case, who was born Oct. 4, 1833, and was a daughter of Owen Case, of Barkhamsted. She died July 21. 1891, the mother of the following children : Alice Eliza, born July 8, 1854, married E. B. Dunbar, of Bristol ; Mary Addie, born April 6, 1856, was married May 31, 1877, to Samuel D. Newell, of Bristol, and to this union has been born four children, of whom only one, Alice Mae, , survives. Frederick Watson is mentioned below. . Charles Samuel, born Aug. 4, 1862, died Dec. 19, , 1882. Twins died in infancy. The second marriage of Mr. Giddings took place Sept. 12. 1892, when i Emma S. Loomis, who was born Oct. 4, 1843, a ' daughter of Amos Loomis, of Norwich, Conn., be- came his bride.

In politics Watson Giddings was a Republican until the formation of the Prohibition party, when 1 he united therewith, and has ever since been an - active worker in its ranks. In 1861 he was elected by the Republicans a member of the State Legisla- ture from Barkhamsted, served one term, and also served one term on the board of selectmen of the same town. For one year, shortly after coming to Bristol, he served on the school committee of Dis- trict No. I, and in 1896 was elected a member of the board of burgesses of Bristol, now serving his second term; he has also been chairman of the sewer committee of the town ever since his election as burgess. He is president of the West Cemetery Association, is a trustee of the Prospect M. E. Church, and in 1878 was made a member of Frank- lin Lodge, No. 56, F. & A. M., of which he has been treasurer since joining, and he and his wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star. Mrs. Emma S. Giddings is likewise a member of Pros- pect M. E. Church, and a member of the Ladies Aid Society, of which she has been president.

Frederick Watson Giddings, son and business partner of Watson Giddings, was born March 28, 1860, attended the common schools of Bristol until

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sixteen years old, then learned blacksmithing and carriage making under his father, and now attends to the finances of the concern. On June 5, 1890, he was united in marriage with Miss Cora M. Hart, who was born Dec. 25, 1869, a daughter of Harvilla J. Hart, of Bristol, and to this marriage have been born two children, Watson Hart, June 24, 1893 ; and Susie, July 19, 1897. Mr. Giddings is a mem- ber of Stephen Terry Lodge, No. 59, I. O. O. F., and of the Prospect M. E. Church, and in politics is a Republican.

Mrs. Almena A. (Giddings) Park, sister of our subject, was a writer of some note; her nom de plume was "Allie Wellington." Her poems have been published in book form, under the title of "My Welcome Beyond, and other Poems," and the poem named, which her brother considers the best of the collection, is herewith given :

MY WELCOME BEYOND.

W ho will greet me first in Heaven, When that blissful realm I gain; When the hands have ceased from toiling, And the heart has ceased from pain; When the last farewell is spoken, Severed the last tender tie. And I know how sweet, how solemn, And how blest it is to die?

As my barque glides o'er the waters Of that cold and silent stream, I shall see the domes of temples In the distance brightly gleam; Temples of that beauteous city From all blight and sorrow free; Who adown its golden portal First will haste to welcome me?

Ah, whose eyes will watch my coming From that other, fairer shore? Whose the voice I first shall listen That shall teach me heavenly lore? When my feet shall press the mystic Borders of that better land, Whose face greet my wondering vision ? Whose shall clasp the spirit hand?

Who shall greet me first in Heaven? Oft the earnest thought will rise, Musing on the unknown glories Of that home beyond the skies; Who will be my spirit's mentor? Will it be some seraph bright? Or an angel from the countless Myriads of that home of light?

No, not these-for they have never Gladdened here my mortal view; But the dear ones gone before us, They-the loved, the tried, the true;

They who walked with us life's pathway, To its joys and griefs were given; They who loved us bext in Earthland, Be the first to greet in Heaven!

ARTEMAS ELIJAH HART, secretary and treasurer of The Society for Savings, Hartford, s of the ninth generation in descent from

( I) Stephen Hart, who was born about 1605, in Braintree, County of Essex, England, and came to Massachusetts Bay about the year 1632. Deacon

Hart and his first wife were consistent members of the church in Farmington, Conn., in 1652. He had been a deacon of Rev. Thomas Hooker's church at Cambridge, Mass., and, when his pastor formed a colony at Hartford, Conn., he became a leading member of the new community, holding the office of deacon in the church, and taking an active part in the progressive movements of his day. In 1672 he was one of the eighty-four proprietors of the town of Farmington, in which he was prominent, both socially and politically. In 1635 he was one of the original proprietors of Hartford. His house lot was on the west side of what is now Front street, near where Morgan street crosses it, and there is a tradition that the town was called from the ford he discovered and used in crossing the Connecticut river at low water, and so, from "Hart's ford," it soon came to be called and written "Hart- ford." He died in March, 1682.

(II) Thomas Hart, youngest of the children of Deacon Stephen Hart, was born in 1644. He mar- ried Ruth, daughter of Anthony Hawkins, of Farm- ington. She was born Oct. 24, 1649, at Windsor, Conn. Thomas Hart was a captain in the militia, 1695; deputy to the General Court, 1690 to 1706; speaker, 1700 to 1706; justice, 1698 to 1706. John Hooker and he were the two prominent men of the town.

(III) Deacon Thomas Hart, second son of Capt. Thomas Hart, was born in April, 1680, at Farmington, Conn., and Dec. 17, 1702, married Mary, daughter of John Thompson, of Farming- ton. He removed to Kensington, Conn., and be- came the most prominent man in that society. His first wife died in October, 1763, and Jan. II, 1764, at the age of eighty-four, he married Mrs. Eliza- beth Morton, widow of Isaac Morton, of Berlin, Conn. He died Jan. 29, 1773, aged ninety-three years.

(IV) Deacon Elijah Hart, of New Britain, Conn., third son of Deacon Thomas Hart, was born June 18, 1711, at Kensington, Conn., and became a lifelong farmer. On Dec. 26, 1734, he married Abi- gail Goodrich, who was born Dec. 14, 1714, a daughter of Allen Goodrich. He located in New Britain, and he and his wife became constituent members of the First Church organized there, April 19, 1758. He died Aug. 3, 1772; his widow passed away in Simsbury, Conn., at the home of her daugh- ter, Mrs. Eno, Jan. 21, 1800, in her ninety-fifth year.

(\') Deacon Elijah Hart, son of the above, and great-great-grandfather of Artemas Elijah Hart. was born Sept. 26, 1735, in Kensington, Conn. With his parents he became a constituent member of the church in New Britain, 1758, and led the singing therein. He was of strictly Puritanical habits, a farmer by occupation, and possessor of considerable property. On May 11, 1757, he mar- ried Sarah, daughter of Ebenezer Gilbert. He died Dec. 10, 1800, his wife on Sept. 22, 1809.

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(VI) Deacon Elijah Hart, son of the above, and great-grandfather of Artemas Elijah Hart, was born May 7, 1759, at New Britain, Conn. lle was a large farmer, and an extensive manufacturer of cornmeal for the West Indies trade. On March 18, 1778, he enlisted in the Revolutionary army for three years, and was present at the surrender of Burgoyne. He married Dec. 21, 1780, Anna Andrews, who was born Sept. 6, 1760, a daughter of Hezekiah Andrews. Deacon Hart died from the effect of a bee's sting, Aug. 4, 1827, his widow passing away Dec. 2, 1835.

(VII) Jesse Hart, son of the above, and grand- father of Artemas E. Hart, was born in New Brit- ain, Conn., April 20, 1789, and became a respected citizen of that town. For many years he was en- gaged in business there as a blacksmith, having learned the trade under Orrin Lee, in Hartford. On April 5, 1810, he married Lucina Cowdry, who was born Sept. 17, 1788, a daughter of Asa Cowdry, of Hartford, Conn., and they had two children: Arte- mas Ensign, a sketch of whom follows; and Lucina, born Dec. 3, 1821, who married John H. Goodwin, and died in Paris, France, in the spring of 1885. Jesse Hart died in New Britain Feb. 21, 1825.

(VIII) Artemas Ensign Hart, father of our subject, was born Feb. 11, 1812, in New Britain, Conn., and was reared at the old homestead, which occupied the site of the present "Hotel Russwin." He built a home in New Britain, on Washington street, which was used as the Episcopal parsonage. He was a man of retiring and unpretentious nature, and a devout member of the Congregational Church, his excellent qualities of character making him a valued citizen. By occupation he was a jeweler, and after carrying on that trade for some

years at New Britain he removed to Hartford, and later to West Hartford, where he died in 1884, his remains being taken to New Britain for interment. On Aug. 24, 1836, he married Ann Elizabeth Clark, who was born Dec. 7, 1816, a daughter of Abel and Catherine (Eckerst) Clark, of Litchfield, Conn., well-known residents of that section. Children as follows were born to Artemas E. and Ann E. Hart : Virginia Veeder, now Mrs. Charles J. Smith, of Hartford ; Charles R. (deceased), a sketch of whom appears elsewhere; Artemas Elijah, our subject ; Lucina, who died in infancy; Ann Elizabeth, who married (first) Charles Mackin, of New York, and (second) Alfred Huber, of Paris, France; Henry L., deceased ; and Joseph C., now residing in Lon- don, England.

Artemas E. Hart, the subject proper of this biography, was born June 20, 1842, in New Britain, Conn., and received his education at the high school in New Britain, and at Edward Hall's boarding school, in Ellington, Conn. For a time he clerked in the drug store of W. H. Coggswell, at Rockville, Conn., who also kept the post office there, our sub- ject assisting him. In 1860 Mr. Hart came to Hartford, and after clerking for some months in

the dry-goods store of H. E. Mather became clerk m The Society for Savings, where from step to step he advanced in the cash department until reaching his present responsible position, that of secretary and treasurer.

On Oct. 12, 1865, Mr. Hart was united in mar- riage with Katherine A. O. Litchfield, of Hartford, born Sept. 29, 1845, and four children have been born to them, their names and dates of birth being as follows: Elizabeth Katherine, Jan. 19, 1867, is now the wife of Harmon S. Graves, of the firm of Lester & Graves, attorneys, of New York City; Alida May, May 9, 1870, died March 8, 1873; Sarah Litchfield, Feb. 16, 1872, is now the wife of Ogle Taylor Paine, formerly of Troy, now of New Rochelle, N. Y .; and Harold Gross, Nov. 6, 1882, is a student in Philip's Academy, Andover, Massa- chusetts

Mr. Hart is a member of the Sons of the Amer- ican Revolution, of the Colonial Club, of Hartford, and also of the Laurentian Club, of Montreal. Canada. He is active in both church and school work, and for many years was treasurer of Park Congregational Church; was treasurer of the Sec- ond North school district, and is now a member of the West Middle school committee. For fifteen years he has been director of the State Bank. In politics he is independent, and he is justly regarded as a man of integrity, and as a useful citizen, well worthy of the esteem in which he is held.

HENRY JACOB ZWEYGARTT (deceased), who was for many years a leading tobacco dealer of Hartford, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, Nov. 22, 1831. He was educated in his native land, having been sent away from home to school at the age of eight years, and a thorough foundation was laid for his success in mercantile life by a seven- years apprenticeship as a salesman.

In August, 1851, at the age of twenty, Mr. Zweygartt came to America, and after spending some time in New York City, Philadelphia, Penn., and Meriden, Conn., located in Hartford. In 1856 he had a cigar store on Temple street between Market and Front streets, and on selling out the business he started a similar store on Asylum street, where he employed five or six hands. Previous to the Civil war Mr. Zweygartt went South for the benefit of his health, and settled in New Orleans, but he came North to escape being drafted for the Confederate army, and again located in Hartford. In 1864 or 1865 he opened a cigar store in Ely's block, but he did not long continue in the cigar trade, giving it up for the leaf tobacco business, in which branch of trade he was very successful. The name of Zweygartt is a household word in the tobacco trade all over the United States, and dealers came to like his packing so well that all that was necessary for them to know was that Mr. Zweygartt packed the tobacco. His office and warehouse were at No. 221 State street, and in all he was in the

Home J. Enim parto

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leaf tobacco business for about thirty years. He died Jan. 23, 1897, and among the tributes of re- spect was the following, passed at a special meeting of the leaf tobacco trade held in the city of Hart- ford Jan. 25, 1897, the resolutions being unani- mously passed :

"WHEREAS, Death has again visited our midst and has taken away our esteemed fellow merchant, Henry J. Zweygartt,

"Resolved, That the Hartford Leaf Tobacco Trade has lost one of its most honorable and val- table members, and many of us liave also lost a per- sonal friend, one of the kind whom it would do to anchor by in time of storms, and this sentiment will be echoed around many a hearthstone where luxury has not lived, but where the charity of Henry J. Zweygartt was well known. We deeply mourn the loss of our fellow merchant. In token of our appreciation of our merchant's worth and many sterling qualities as a merchant, friend and citizen, and our deep regret at his death, be it

"Resolved, That this trade deeply sympathizes with his family in this hour of trouble and offers its sincere condolence.

"Resolved, That we pay sad tribute to his mem- ory by closing our respective places of business and attending his funeral, and also that an engrossed copy of these resolutions be forwarded to the family of our departed friend, and published in our trade journals and daily papers."

[Signed] George Lee, J. W. Bissell and W. F. Fuller.

Mr. Zweygartt was quiet and unassuming in his manners, but was nevertheless firm in the sup- port of his convictions, and his judgment was valued by his fellow townsmen. From Jan. 1, 1895, until June 15, 1896, lie served as one of the Republican selectmen of the town of Hartford, retiring only a short time before his death, which occurred on Jan. 23, 1897. He and his family became prominent in social life, and he was one of the oldest members of St. John's Lodge, No. 4. F. & A. M., having joined the Fraternity in 1867.

In 1870 Mr. Zweygartt was married, in Derby. Co1111., to Miss Melissa I. Candee, daughter of Samuel L. Candee, a well-known manufacturer of surgical instruments in that town. Five children have blessed the union : Edna M., deceased ; Minnie C., wife of Harry Allen Howland : Mary E., who married Edwin H. Heminway; and Henry J., Jr., and Linda I., both residing in Hartford.

ELLEN HAMMOND GLADWIN, M. D .. who has practiced her profession in the city of Hartford since 1873, lias been deservedly success- ful in her chosen calling, and is recognized through- out Hartford county as an able physician and talented woman.

Dr. Gladwin is of English extraction, and Lieut. Col. Peter Hammond, her first paternal ancestor of whom we have any definite record, was one of

the King's Chancellors in England. Her great- grandfather, Josiah Hammond, was a native of Windham, Conn. His son, Asahel Hammond, was a farmer in Hampton, Conn., for a number of years, and spent the later years of his life in Brooklyn, Conn. He married a Miss Betsey Robinson, a de- scendant of John Robinson, of Leyden, and a daughter of Joshua Robinson, a Revolutionary soldier. Their son, Justin Hammond, was born in Hampton, Conn., and received a thorough educa- tion, graduating from Brown University in the classical course, and later from Harvard Medical School. For fifty years he was a prominent and successful practitioner in Killingly, Conn., having commenced practice with his father-in-law, Dr. Fenner Peckham, of East Killingly. He married Susan Peckham, and three of the children born to this union took up their father's profession : Henry L., of Killingly ; Susan Field, of Boston, and our subject. Dr. Hammond was active in the public affairs of his day and place, and represented Kill- ingly in the State Legislature in 1836 and 1871. He died in 1873.

Ellen Hammond Gladwin was born in Killingly, and there received lier early education, which was supplemented with study at the academy of East Greenwich (R. I.) and Mt. Holyoke Seminary. Her medical studies were pursued at the Woman's Medical College of the New York Infirmary, in New York City, from which institution she was graduated with the class of 1872, and she subse- quently took her father's practice for a year, in 1873 locating in Hartford, where she has since been located. Dr. Gladwin is a member of the City, County and State Medical Societies.

In 1880 our subject was married, in Hartford, to Sidney M. Gladwin, a native of East Haddam, Conn., who comes from one of the oldest families of that locality. Excepting a few years' residence in New York, during which period he served in the Civil war, he has been identified with Hartford from the age of seventeen years, when he cante to the city with Hillyer & Bunce, wool merchants, remain- ing with that firm and with Dwight, Skinner & Co., their successors, over twenty-five years. He is now associated in business with Drayton Hillyer and William C. Skinner. The Gladwin honte is at No. 705 Asylum avenue, Hartford.

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Commemorative biographical record of Hartford County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Pt 1, Part 59

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1901 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1336

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1336